Relinking feeder



Jilly 29, 1958 c. H. STEVENS 2,845,005

RELINKING FEEDER Filed Jan. 31, 1956 48 47 28 f1 -1- [:1 Ila-5 l 36 32 vINVENTORUL Ehurles H-5iavan5 W. M M W. 42

United States Patent RELINKIN G FEEDER Charles H. Stevens, Springfield,Mass., assignor to the United States of America as represented by theSecretary of the Army Application January 31, 1956, Serial No. 562,618 81 Claim. (Cl. 89"-33) (Granted under Tifle as, U. s. Code 1952 see. 266)having chambers disposed for rotation thereof to successivecorresponding stations, for charging cartridges into the chambers, fordischarge of the cartridges and for removal of the cases of thecartridges from the chambers.

The cartridges are inclosed in the links of an ammunition belt and afeeder of the gun includes a pair of sprockets rotated by the drum andengaged with-the belt to successively propel the links to the chargingstation and place the cartridges. into the chamber at the chargingstation. The links include oppositely projecting axial tabs which areslidingly received by grooves in the feeder to guide the links whilebeing moved by the sprockets.

The links are disengaged from the belt when the cartridges are removedtherefrom and expelled from the gun and an extractor. removes the casesof the cartridges from the chambers in the extraction station so thatthe links andthe cases leave the gun separately in conventionalrevolver-type guns.

This weapon is principally employed in aircraft where storage space islimited whereby the cases of the discharged cartridges and the links areseparately ejected from the aircraft. Such disposition particularly information flying is hazardous but the problem of storage spacefor thedischarged cases and the links separately in the aircraft is acute.However, the space required for storage would be materially reduced ifthe links and cases could be reassembled after discharge.

It is an object of my invention, therefore, to retain the links in thebelts and to provide a feeder for returning the cases of the cartridgesto the belt links after discharge of the cartridges in the gun. I Afurther object of my invention is to provide a feeder with a pair ofguides having grooves for guiding the links to the firing and extractionstations of the gun.

Additional aims and objects of my invention will appear from thefollowing description and accompanying drawing in which:

s Fig. 1' is an elevation of a gun incorporating one embodiment of myinvention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view similar to Fig. 1 partly cut Fig. 3 is a viewalong line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a view along line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Accordingly, a gun 12 is provided with a recoil unit 14 having a barrel16 and a drum 18 having chambers 20 for cartridges 22. The drum isprovided with stations corresponding to chambers 20 including a chargingstation 23, a firing station 24 in axial alignment with the barrel fordischarge of cartridges 22, and an exing station. I 51 to form a looptherewith and terminates atport 47.

Provided in portions 51 are grooves 53 which extend 30 is provided forengagementtherewith and for recip-' rocal operation with respect torecoil unit 14 to succes sively rotate the chambers to the stationsresponsive to the discharge of the cartridges 22 in barrel 16.

Cartridges 22 are inclosed in links 32 having body portions 34 withhooks 36 and loops 38 respectively engageable to form an ammunition belt40. Links 32;

also include pairs of oppositely projecting axial tabs 42.

A feeder 44 is disposed in gun 12 rearwardly of drum 18 and includes ahousing 45 having a port 47 to permit entrance and return of ammunitionbelt 40. Disposed inside of housing 45 is a guide 49 provided with apair of grooves 46 each of which engages one of the pairs of tabs 42 forslidingly guiding the links 32 from port 47 to the charging station sothat the cartridges inclosed in the links at such charging station arelongitudinally aligned with the one of thechambers 20 in such charg-Guide 49 continues in an extension portion respectively from grooves 46to guide the links 32 to extractor station 25 in position'to receive thecases 26 .when extracted from drum 18, as hereinafter described,

and carry them out port 47. Belt 40 is moved to selectively align thelinks 32 with the chambers 20 in the charging and extracting stations bya pair of sprockets 48 provided with teeth 50 for engaging the bodyportion 34 of the cartridges 22. Sprockets 48 are drum 18 for rotationtherewith.

Actuator 30 is provided with an arm 52 for ramming the cartridges intothe chambers 20 at the charging station and an extractor 54 is disposedonrecoil unit 14'for removal of cases 26 from the chambers at theextraction station and for projection into the link positioned 'by thesprockets 48 at such extraction station responsive to variations may bedevised within the spirit and scope thereof and the following claim isintended to include.

such variations.

I claim: 'In a gun supplied with cartridges by an ammunition beltcomprised of a plurality of links for slidably receiving the cases ofthe cartridges and provided with tabs extending from the front and rearends, the combination of a rotatable drum, a plurality of chambers insaid drum,

actuator means for rotating said drum to sequentially align saidchambers to a charging, a firing and an extraction station, sprocketmeans joined to said drum for rotation therewith and engaged with theammunition belt for actuation thereof, a guide having a pair of groovesfor respectively receiving the tabs to slidingly guide said links intoalignment with the ramming station, a rammer actuated by said actuatormeans for ramming the cartridges from the ones of the links aligned withthe ramming station into the corresponding ones of said chambers, a loopportion of said guide extending from the ramming station to theextraction station and out of the a gun, groove means in said loopportion continuingfrom said pair of grooves to slidingly receive thetabs and guide the links to the extraction station and subsequently fromthe gun, and extractor means for removing the fired cases tractionstation 25 adjacent the firing station for removal from said drum intothe ones of the links aligned with the extraction station.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSPatented July 29, 1958 splined to Kinzelman Dec. 18, 1 951

